Declaration of Love?
by SilverSkitty
Summary: Mariah has a big debt to pay off. And making a bet with Kevin was not the answer. The result? Having to fake it to Rei that she loves him. Because when you combine a 30 bet with a corrupt 12 year old,bad things happen. Anti ReixMariah.
1. The Bet

I've been wanting to write this for a long time. Unfortunately,I was swamped with Pokemon stories,videos to make,and other Beyblade story ideas.

Quick reminder: Mariah doesn't love Rei,as in she doesn't want to marry him and stuff like that. If you want those kinds of stories,search elsewere. I just wrote this for laughs,since in most of the fics I read,she's usually shown as a pretty lovesick person. Well,that's it,so sit back,enjoy,and don't forget to review!

Chapter 1: The Bet

What do people find so fascinating about romance? And why did I waste my money on the latest issue of School Rumble? These questions nagged me as I walked down the empty hall. Didn't I need that money for something else? I can't quite remember.

I have a passion for manga and anime. Well,an obsession,really. And School Rumble didn't look much different from Azumanga Daioh. But when you actually started reading it,it was another one of those stupid,crappy romance manga titles. The ones I really hated.

Not nearly as interesting as Negima, not as funny as Azumanga Daioh. Just an idiotic scam to make money. And worst of all,the shop didn't except refunds.

Tala leaned against the wall,watching me. Weird,what's he want,anyway?

He snapped his fingers at me."Hey,kid! Where's the 30 bucks you owe me?"

Thirty bucks? Oh,that's right,he upgraded Galux for me last week,at a cost of 30. That was before I discovered this site where you could upgrade your blade for free.

Oh,shit! I knew I needed that money for something besides comics!

"Ummm,would it be alright if pay you on Friday? I'm broke now."

He narrowed his eyes at me. Damn,he's so creepy!

"All right,two more days. But if I don't see the dough by Friday,Galux is roadkill.". He calmly walked away.

2:30. Time to get back to my room. It's not that I'm afraid of Tala,it's just that he's bigger than me. And stronger than me. And I made a cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise. Those are not the kind of promises you want to break.

Now all I had to do was find a way to get a decent sum of money by Friday. I narrowed down the sorces.

Lee?No,I borrowed money from him way to many times. If I ask him again he'll probably throw a book at me and tell me to "shut the hell up.". Gary?Possibly.Rei? Nah,he's probably broke too. Kevin? Yes,that's it! He rarely spends his money,anyways.

I fished the keys out of my bag and opened the door. Lee was sitting at the table,twisting and rearanging his blade. He suddenly slammed it on the table and glared at me. "Riah,where the hell have you been! You said you would be here half an hour ago!" I set down a bag of groceries. "Stop worrying about me,I can take care of myself,for God's sake,I'm 14.".

Raw,uncontrollable male anger.I've got three other teammates with the same problem. Sadly,I'm the only girl in the whole team."By the way,have you seen Kevin?". He continued fixing it,barely looking up. "Yeah,he's probably on the computer,again.".

Typycal Kevin,killing time on the computer. I walked into the computer room,only to find him staring at a glowing PC screen,just like Lee said. He seemed to be working on something.

"Hi Kev !". He jumped a mile and immediantly covered the screen with his hands. Weird. "Ummm,oh,hi Mariah,l-listen,could you come later,I'm kinda busy right now.".

Waking up to the screen,I noticed he also had a very worried look on his face."Let me guess,you're on a dirty website." "N-no." "You're doing something top-secret and you don't want me to see?" "Uh,yeah-er I mean no!" "You screwed up one of the drives?" "No." "I give up." I said,prying his hands off the monitor.

Apparently he had done something on Paint he didn't want me to see. He took a picture of a newlywed couple in eachother's arms and pasted me and Rei's faces in the place of their's. I sucked in my cheeks.

"Isn't this joke getting a little stale? You haven't stopped teasing us since I visited him in the hospital last year."

"But I can see it in your eyes,you're definitely in love. Don't try to deny it."

I rolled my eyes."You can't let Fruits Basket warp your mind. Just because I value his life doesn't mean I love him. I mean,what if someone teased us?"

"That's different,you're older than me."

"But-,oh,forget it,I came here to ask you a favor."

"What?"

"Could I borrow 30 bucks? Please?"

"Well,alright,but it'll cost you."

"What do you mean 'cost me'?"

He grinned like he'd just won the lottery. "I need you to tell Rei that you love him. Not as a friend,but that you want to be his loveslave for all eternity."

"WHAT!" I screamed. "ARE YOU CRAZY!"

"Nope,all you have to do is tell him that your heart is his,and the thirty bucks is yours."

I wanted to slap him across the face for suggesting something so sick. But my deadline was shrinking by the minute. And when you made a deal with a kid who's part of a team not much more forgiving than the Russian mafia,you really don't have much of a choice.

"So,all I have to do is fake it to Rei that I love him,and you'll pay me?"

"Yup."

That didn't sound so bad. At least he didn't suggest something sicker,like kissing or necking with him.

I stuck my hand out. "Deal."

"Good,we'll discuss exactly what you have to do,how much you have to tell him later. Remember,this is between me and you."

Fine,I can't imagine what Lee would say if he found out I was gambling. Not that I give a rat's ass about what he thinks.

I felt like driving my head through the glass window. Great,I'd just sold my soul to the Devil.

It doesn't matter what people believe,I know the Devil. He has green hair,violet eyes,and likes One Piece.

His name is Kevin Ki.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Whew! That took quite a while. I had to edit a lot of stuff. I hope I can start writing the next chapter by tommorow. I have a mild fever,so I'm lucky my mom let me get on the computer today.

Let me know what you think and please review!


	2. Acording To Plan

Here it is,chapter 2 of my anti ReixMariah fic.

Chapter 2: Acording To Plan

"Shanks was a good man,and don't you ever,ever,insult him again!" a sort of raspy kid's voice screamed.

More punching and gasping. Great,who's picking a fight at eight in the morning?

I dizzily raised my head to find the morning Toonami run on the T.V. screen. One Piece.

I crawled over to the T.V. . "Why do you always catch the morning episode?"

Kevin turned his attention to me. "You're awake? Man,you just missed the best part! Luffy punched this guy,and he went sailing in the air,and then he hit a boulder in the ocean!"

"Mmm...Listen,about our bet..."

"Huh? Oh,that's right,I planned it all last night."

Planned it? Uh-oh. That really didn't sound good.

"I'm going to go eat breakfast,we'll talk later."

Even after I ate breakfast,I continued to sit there,unable to move.

Why did I do that? Why didn't I just tell him I would pay him back? Why did I have to go and be stupid enough to go and accept a challenge that would humiliate me and Rei for the rest of our lives?

But then there was Galux. If I called off the bet,she'd be in danger. No,I couldn't call off the bet,I had no other choice. Regardless of what it does to me,I'm still keeping the promise.

Even if it kills me.

I lay on the couch to get my mind off the bet. Kevin was working on some upgrading and probably sketching Pikachu smoking crack or something.

The way he sees it,Pikachu is a fat,yellow,bastard who is adored by all,except him. The way I see it, Pikachu is an innocent creature sold into slavery,Ash has an eating disorder,Misty is Ash's whore,and Brock probably photographs porn.

My mind drifted off to thoughts about Ming-Ming. She's really been pissing me off lately. Every time I attend a beybattle,she always sings some popular song before she battles. Usually it's something by Ayumi Hamasaki,but ocassionally it's something from The States.

Watching her makes me want to shoot myself. I'm serious,if I was sitting in the bleachers with a gun next to me,I would pick it up,press the barrel against my heart,and pull the trigger.

I'd be a mess of blood and flesh,but it would be better than hearing some puny wannabe kid screech her heart out.

She really seems to take every oppurtunity to flirt, blowing kisses to every boy in sight,including poor Kevin.

He told me that one day he was innocently buying a drink,when she came up to him,flashing her disgustingly sugary smile. And comepletely out of the blue she says "Hey,chinese boy,you're kinda cute." and stood there,waiting for a reaction. He had to fight the urge to throw the juice bottle at her,and run away.

I didn't quite believe him at first,but considering how badly she wants to be a whore,maybe he was telling the truth. _What the hell is her problem,anyway? If Hilary didn't beat me to it,I would take a sledgehammer and-_

_"_I need you to kiss this." Kevin's voice broke into my thoughts.

"What?"

He held out an envelope.

"Kiss the envelope?"

"Yes. I'm writing Rei an invitation. You're supposed to meet him in the locker room at three o' clock. That's where you tell him how you feel. So go put some lipstick on and kiss the envelope."

Since when did he care about teen romance? That kind of stuff makes him sick.

"This isn't like you. Why do want me to do all this "romantic" stuff."

He sat next to me. "Truth is,it's just revenge. I don't really give a rat's ass about you and Rei."

"Revenge?"

"Exactly,do you remember last year? You shoved me into a fruit stand in Mexico City and I almost broke the table."

"I was just kidding around!"

"It doesn't matter. The lady started screaming at me and everyone stared. All I wanted ever since then was to see humiliate yourself like hell."

"Even if you do humiliate me,what makes you think you're going to win this bet?"

"I know you,and I know you don't have the courage to do this."

I glared at him. "We'll see about that."

He held out the envelope. "Are you going to kiss this or what?"

"Fine." I buttered up my lips with the lipstick and grabbed the envelope. Better get this over with.

Despite the fact that the envelope was a piece of paper,I felt sick. Kevin's grin wasn't helping.

"You're really enjoying this aren't you? You sick bastard."

I pressed my mouth against the envelope. "There,are you happy now?"

"Very. I'll go give this to Rei and be back. We should probably start practicing soon,before Lee comes and strangles us."

He walked away,humming something he heard on the internet.

_I drink beer because it's good_

_I drink beer because I should_

_if there was a song to sing,_

_I sing it,and beer you bring_

I felt more determined to win this bet. Yet it wasn't going to be easy.

I held Galux tightly in my hand. "Don't worry,I'll get this over with and win it." I whispered. Sometimes I think Rei mistook my care for conditional love. Probably.

I just worried a lot. When he fainted after all the intensity,I thought I was going faint too. If any of my friends died,I'd never forgive myself.

I closed my eyes and hummed a song I heard a while ago.

_Vrei sa pleci der nu ma nu ma iei_

_nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei,_

_Chipul tau si dragostea din tei_

_Mi-amintesc de ochii tai_

It means:

_You want to leave,but you don't want don't want _

_to take me,don't want to take me,don't want to take me,_

_don't want don't want don't want to take me._

There,I'm finally done. Sorry it took so long to write. This chapter was kind of a filler,so I had to think how to fill space. I think I made Tala sound like a gangster in the last chapter. Weird. G'night and please review.


	3. Nightmare Come True

Here it is,chapter three,hot off the press. Thank you for waiting so patiently,loyal fans.

Disclaimer:I don't own beyblade,because if I did,Kevin would have a much bigger part.

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Chapter 3: Nightmare Come True

8:00 pm. Noodles. My mood hadn't improved.

I usually cook dinner,but today,thinking about the bet and everything,I faked a headache. Wasn't much of a lie though,I wasn't feeling to great this afternoon.

"Then,when I finally got to order,this little kid cut in front of me,pulled himself up to the counter and said "Ichiri chora therawo?.". So I tried to tell him I was there first when for no reason at all,he made a face at me and yelled "AMMAAAAAHHHH!" and started screaming "Mindathi irickya!Nyaan chora medi kyuah!" So next thing I know,this indian woman comes up to me and starts apoligizing as if he broke my leg or something."

"So that's why you brought dinner so late."

"Exactly."

This is what it's like when I don't cook dinner. Lee goes to some crappy little joint,gets something cheap and filling,and he and Gary spend half the time discussing the quality of the food.

"Was the kid swearing at you?" Kevin asked,his mouth full. I didn't bother telling him to finish eating first.

"No,his mother explained that he was trying to order rice,and that he told me to be quiet so he could order."

"Oh. What was he speaking?"

"I don't know. Some indian language. Didn't sound like hindi."

My green-haired friend gave my shirt a tug.

"I gave Rei the invitation today."

"I really don't want to hear about it."

"But it's funny! Anyways,I gave him the envelope and told him it was from you. So the he turned it over and asked me if I put on lipstick and and kissed it. I told him I didn't,so he opened the envelope and started reading it. Damn,you should have been there!"

"Not now." I hissed. "We can talk about this later."

He completely ignored me. "The expression on his face was priceless! He actually belived that you wrote that!"

"Shh! Not now!"

"I think he likes you. I bet your confession would really be a dream come true."

Why the hell is he so ignorant?

"Anyways he-"

"I SAID SHUT UP,DAMMIT!"

Silence. Surprised,confused faces. Lee gave me a look. "Are you okay,Riah?"

My face burned. "Ummm...yeah,Kevin was talking about all these swordfights and slaughter from One Piece. It was kind of making me sick."

I knew quite well that the violence in One Piece wasn't really all that gory,but it was just another 1-minute lie.

Gary put his hand on my shoulder. "Come to think of it,you haven't been blading so well in the last few days."

"Oh,well,I got Galux upgraded,so I just need a little time to adjust."

"Who upgraded her?"

"Um,Kenny,he really did a good job."

Another day,another lie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I sat at the window,savoring the darkness. Moonlight poured through the window. I could hear the water running. Someone brushing their teeth.

Do you ever sit around at night,regretting something you said or did? That's exactly how I felt,regretting my lies,regretting the bet,regretting being a girl.

For some reason,Kevin didn't seem like my friend anymore,he seemed more like some annoying little asshole I'm trying to avoid. I know he still hates me for shoving him into a fruit stand,but now he barely seemed like himself anymore.

I suddenly hated him too.

"Grr...how come this damn manual is so hard to understand!"

I turned around. "What are you talking about?"

"This manual! What the hell is "Una lapiz es necesario." supposed to mean?"

"Calm down." I glanced at the paper. "I don't think this is english."

"Great,I spent half an hour printing instructions that aren't even in english." Kevin groaned and slammed his head on the table.

"Why do you need these,anyway?"

"I broke Galmon during practice. I need him for tomorrow's match. Crap,I can't fight Ian with a piece of scrap metal!"

My chest tightened. "W-we're fighting the Blitzkreig Boys?"

"Yeah. Lee wants to test me. See if I've been practicing enough."

"Really?"

I hadn't told him a word about Tala. He might have been my friend since I was 10,but I didn't trust someone who can't control their own tongue.

"I'll take a look at your blade,maybe I can fix it."

"Thanks. Maybe Kenny could upgrade it."

"Yeah...Kenny. Listen,Rei did say he was coming,right?"

"Tommorow. 2:00 p.m. in the locker room. We battle at 3:00."

2:00. Me and Rei. A smelly locker room. What next,a making out session?

"I'll fix it before the match."

"Promise?"

"Sure. As long as you keep yours." He fiddled with the disc. "No hard feelings,right. Now I'm not so sure if this whole thing was a good idea."

I faked a smile. "None whatsoever." Just wait 'till I get through with this. You'll be lucky if you aren't in crutches. That is,if Gary doesn't catch me.

"I was kidding about our dinner conversation. Rei actually looked kind of sick when he read the invitation."

"You'd better not be lying."

"WHY AREN'T YOU TWO ASLEEP!"

Lee.

"We'll be there!" I yelled. Hopefully,he didn't hear one word of our conversation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the night was a blur,all I know is that I had a dream of some sort. It was about Rei. I remember standing out in an open field at night,staring at the moon. A full moon. All I can recall is that a cat sarted nipping at my ankle. It looked familiar,maybe it was the red yin-yang headband. It looked up at me and hissed "Rot in Hell,bitch.". It dissapeared after that,and when I looked back down,there was nothing but the headband and an echoing chant "Die,die,die,die,die..."

"Shut up!" I screamed.

Traces of sunlight streamed through the blinds. Morning,probably 8:30 at least.

I felt like I'd been licking toads,the dizzy hallucinated feeling. My throat was dry,probably due to the air-conditioning. What a weird dream.

I dragged myself out of bed. Lee the slave driver would probably pitch a fit about me rising so late. Strange,no noise at all,just quiet chattering from the living room. I'd fully expected everyone else to be eating breakfast or watching t.v. or something.

Lee and Gary were arguing about something. Kevin was still nestled in his sleeping bag.

"It's quite simple,Gary,you hold his nose and I'll cover his mouth. The lack of air will cause a sudden jolt and he'll wake up."

"I dunno,that sounds kind of cruel."

"Well he has to learn some manners,he can't sleep in all the time,especially during practice."

"Well..."

"I'll wake him up,you two go eat breakfast."

"So you're up,Mariah,late as usual."

"Sorry." I muttered.

"All I can say is you'd better do a good job of waking him up."

They walked away,leaving me and the sleeping angel alone in the room. My turn to wake him up. Payback time.

I had a choice,I could stare into his eyes until he wakes up screaming,or I could mess with his mind. Maybe I'll mess with his mind.

I lay down next to him,putting my arm over him and hugged him tightly. Still nothing. That's odd,he's usually quite sensitive to physical contact. Fine. I nuzzled his cheek a little. "Wake up,baby." I cooed in his ear. I couldn't help it,he's so cute when he's sleeping.

He tilted his head a little,squinting. "Huh?"

A person usually regains consciosness at least 5-15 seconds after waking. I could have just shaken him awake,but he would pull the covers over his head and go back to sleep. Waking up in another nightmare has a stronger effect than coffee. He's bound to start screaming any minute now.

"What,what's going on?"

I smiled."It's morning already,time to rise and greet the sun."

"Pikachu?". He stared at me,suddenly realizing who I was and how close we were.

"Mariah! Holy crap! What the hell are you doing? Get away from me!"

What did I tell you?

He jumped up,shuddering. "That's sick,what the hell was that for?"

I rubbed a sore spot on my arm where he had kicked me. "You refused to wake up,I did what was necessary. You know,Lee was going to cut off your air curculation,so you should be glad I woke you up gently."

"You're so weird and disgusting.I can't believe you almost kissed me. Ugh."

"I did not!"

"Sure you didn't."

"Never mind. Put a shirt on and let's go get some breakfast."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The locker room was empty,except for me and Kevin. Everyone else was probably at the tournament.

Watching Ming-Ming's screechy,juvenille imitation of Britney Spears.

"Are you excited?"

"Why do you care?"

"Becuase you're going to see him."

"Who?"

"The man who ripped your heart out. Aren't you nervous?"

He's been referring to Rei as "The man who ripped my heart out" ever since breakfast.

"Yes,and if you don't shut up,I'll rip your lungs out."

"A little edgy today,are we?"

"Do me a favor."

"What?"

"Kindly shut the hell up!"

"You are edgy today."

"Try being in my place,then we'll see who's edgy."

"Face it,no matter how hard you try,you're going to lose."

"We'll see about that."

Some people have butterflies in their stomach. Me,I had a two-ton moth churning inside me. Butterflies in my stomach,who invented that saying. Eating butterflies. Besides,if you did eat butterflies,they wouldn't still be alive,dancing around in your digestive system,now would they?

Questions with no answers.

"Rei should be here any minute."

"Wait,how is this going to work,you sit around while I 'confess'"

"No,I'll be behind that row of lockers. We'll leave once the point is made. But just remember,one slip and you'll have to cough up 30 dollars."

I rolled my eyes. "You and your weird phrases. Can't you just say,I'm going forfeit 30 dollars? Honestly,I'm not literally going to gag and spit up a handfull of cash or something like tha-"

"Someone's here!"

"It's probably the janitor or-"

"No! Look!"

A tall raven-haired teen stood at the other end of the room,holding a small piece of paper. "This is it,now where is Mariah?"

Rei!

"Oh,I feel sick,I can't believe I'm actually doing this." I mumbled "Next thing I know,I'll be selling myself into prostitution. Oh,god."

Kevin was no where in sight. Probably hiding.

"Good luck." he hissed.

Rei waved to me. "Hi."

"Hi." I croaked.

"Are you okay? You don't sound so good..."

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine."

He took a seat next to me. He looked a little weary. Probably stayed up perfecting his techniques. My heart felt like it was going to burst a hole in my chest.

"So,I got your letter,sealed with a kiss. I didn't know you were dying to feel your body next to mine."

Dying to feel your body next to mine! That bastard!

Faint childish giggling echoed from the other side.

"Asshole,you'll be lucky if it doesn't get any worse than crutches." I hissed.

Rei gave me a look. "Who are you talking to?"

"N-no one. Listen,there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay?"

This wasn't easy. And Kevin's constrained giggling wasn't helping one bit.

"I-I..."

"Yeah?"

"Well..."

My stomach tightened. My legs refused to stop shaking. Every last shred of dignity vanished form my soul. This was a nightmare,a nightmare come true. But I could face it.

Here goes nothing.

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So that's that. I finally finished the third chapter. I'm sorry,so very sorry that it took this long. I was working on some other stuff. So very sorry. I toned down the Kevin's level of "pervertedness" to make it a little more realistic. He reminds me of my friend Dylan,who's actually more mature,but still has a passion for tree-climbing. I would dediacte this story to him,but he barely knows what Beyblade is. I don't think he would like it,anyways. Anyways,that's it,hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.

Kevin: I'm hungry,I want some cookies.

SlverSkitty: Back to my anxiety closet,young man!

Kevin:(sticks out tongue) You're so mean,I hate you.

SilverSkitty: Yeah,yeah,whatever.

Kevin:Could I at least have a glass of water?

SilverSkitty: Go get it yourself.

Kevin:Fine,you'll be sorry when I take over your computer and make you the star of my lemon fics.

SilverSkitty: Sure.

Kevin: I'll pair you up with Boris! Or maybe Mr Dickenson!

SilverSkitty: You don't know how to type.

Kevin: I'll learn,and you'll be sorry,all of you!

SilverSkitty: You should cut down on your sugar intake.

Kevin: I'll get you,my pretties,and your little dog too!


	4. Insanity Awakening

**Author's note:I don't really like to do a lot of dedications,but i'll have to dedicate this chapter to xChewy,cuz if she didn't ask me about this fic,I might have just given it up. Thank you so much.**

Chapter 4 finished at last! Whew! I've been doing a lot of editing and endless rewriting for...how many weeks?

Stranger: About 8-9 months.

SilverSkitty: Ummmm...who are you?

Stranger: I'm Kevin.

SilverSkitty: Kevin? Whoa,you're huge! And you-your voice...did I just stumble into _Honesty_ or _Ketsuron _or whatever that fic is called?

Kevin: No. But it has been a long time since you updated this thing.

SilverSkitty: Okay...where's Mariah?

Kevin:She works as a waitress at Hooters during the day,and at night she comes home,eats 3 cans of pork-and-beans and a pack of marshmallows,and then sleeps for 4 hours.

SilverSkitty: Ouch.

Kevin: Yeah,it's a terrible way to live.

Mariah: (sitting upright,rocking back and forth,clutching an outdated copy of 'Vogue') "What if he rejects me? What if he rejects me? What if he rejects me?...What if..."

SilverSkitty: What's wrong with Mariah?

Kevin: I'm not sure,but she's been like that ever since the end of the last chapter.

SilverSkitty: Ohhh...oh my god...what do I-All right,let's just rewind time and get on with the story. Then I'll dust off the cobwebs and clean out the refrigerator.

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**Author's Note:Before I continue the story,I would like to tell you all that this fic has a twist ending. Yeah,I started out with a nice,happy-sappy ending,but I didn't like it. Besides,I don't want you to confuse my fics with stuff like Sweet Valley High or Lizzie McGuire.**

**But if you want to read the outline of the original ending, you can email me. Thanks.**

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Chapter 4:Insanity Awakening (yes,it's a weird title. I don't know where it came from)

Here goes nothing.

"IloveyouRei." I mumbled.

"Huh? I didn't quite catch that."

I wonder what I ever did to deserve this. I suppose it's my fault for resorting to gambling and such. God,I'm so stupid.

"I said I..."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Aw,that's sweet,thanks."

That's it? "Aw,that's sweet"? This wasn't the reaction I expected. Not at all.

"I don't think you get what I mean."

"What are you talking about?"

"I love you Rei. As in,I want to be your soulmate."

His face coiled up into an expression of pure confusion.

"My soul mate? What do you mean?"

Is it because he's male,or because he's not thinking straight? Why doesn't he get it?!

"Oh,god,why me?" I moaned,my face falling into my hands.

"Are you sick or something?"

It's practically a reflex. Whenever I'm scared,or worried,or humiliated, I say the stupidest things. Nice going.

"Look ,Rei," I whisper,trying to ignore the chokey feeling in my throat."I don't want to put you in an intense state of shock,but when I say I love you,I mean it. The word "crush" doesn't even begin to describe it."

A scratchy,constrained burst of high-pitched giggles came from the other side. Oh,great. Why does Kevin always have such difficulty controlling himself?

Kevin's laughter is scary. It doesn't sound like normal,little kid laughter.

It sounds like a hyena choking on a bone.

I hate hyenas. I suddenly hated Kevin too.

I wish I could shut up.I wish he would shut up too.

"So when I say I love you,I mean I really love you. As more than a friend."

He stared at me in complete shock,like I had told him that I slept with ten different guys and was now pregnant with triplets.

It's really not that different from what I just said.

And so he said nothing. He continued to stare at me,blankly.

Dead silence filled the room.

No more laughter.

_What the hell have I done?_

What the hell have I done!? I ruined our relationship,that's what I've done! My future is ruined for good.

"I-I have to go now." I choked back tears.

"Mariah,wait!"

"Bye!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well,here's the money..." He handed over two notes,a ten and a twenty.

"T-th-thanks." I whispered.

Dead silence.

"Mariah,I know it wasn't easy...but,come on..."

My tensed hand unclenched it's fingers,holding it out to stop him.

"Kevin...shut...up..."

"It's okay,the worst is over,now all you have to do is walk away with the money. I'm sure you'll be laughing about this a week from now and besides..."

I can't take this anymore. _What should I do? Slap him? Scream at him?_

"I gulp,I have to leave now." I give my eyes a quick brush with my hand. I can't bear to cry in front of him.

"What? Where are you going?" he asked.

"Nowhere. I'm just going for...for a little walk?"

"A little walk? Now? Are you crazy? We have to be at the stadium in ten minutes!"

I looked back at him,painful as it was. Could he sense that I was lying?

I groaned. "Oh,please,shut up. You sound like Lee."

Ooohh,big mistake. He hates being compared to Lee.

But instead of responding with a typical,rude,Kevin-like comeback (like, "Really? Well at least I don't have a nose the size of a bowling ball."),he just stands their,looking a bit confused.

"What's wrong with you? You sound you're going to cry-"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" I snapped. "I'm just having a bad day!"

_All right,that's it. I've wasted way too much time talking to him. _

"Look, I'm going now. I'll see you later. Bye!"

I hurried away from him,avoiding the possibilities of answering further questions.

"But you can't! the tournament-"

"Enough about the stupid tournament! And stop worrying about me! Just go battle! Win! Lose! I don't care! Just leave me alone!"

"And don't even think about following me!" I added.

As they all say,"It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game."

Of course in my case,I played this cruel game the best I could,but not good enough. Of course,that doesn't really matter,because whatever happens,I'm going to lose anyways.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Just stay calm. Walk over. Hand in the money. Act like it's no big deal. Act casual..._

_Most importantly,don't make a scene._

With my eye twitching and my teeth grinding back and forth,it's difficult to remember these things. It's also difficult to speak without swallowing.

Tala comes into view. But he doesn't seem to notice me. He's engaged in some deep and rather repetative conversation with a smaller kid,who looks like he's about Kevin's age.

It's funny. I always recognize that kid,even though I've never actually talked to him in person,but now matter how many times I hear it,I always forget his name. I usually refer to him as,"the kid with the somewhat long,purple hair and the big nose".

Kevin,on the other hand,never forgets a single detail about him. Odd that he would remember something like that.

"Look,a headache is such a trivial thing. Just take an aspirin and sleep early tonight."

"But Tala-"

"Please,just go. I don't have time for this."

"Aren't you supposed to go up first?"

"You go. Play hard. Win for us. I'll be there soon."

"But-"

"Dammit Ian! Stop being such a baby and go already!"

_Wow. He must be in really bad mood._

"Fine!"

The kid stormed out. _Ian._ I'll have to remember that.

How weird. That was like what happened between me and Kevin just a few minutes ago. Like deja vu...

Tala turned toward me. I suppose there's no avoiding it now.

"Ah,it's you,May-no,Michaela? No,it's Maria,right?"

_Clever,Tala. Pure genius._

I swallowed. "Mariah."

"Mariah,yes,do you have my money?"

"Your money?"

The look came back in his face. The same one he gave Ian a moment ago.

"Please,just hand it over. I don't have time to stand waiting around all day."

_"I don't have time to stand around waiting all day." Ha. Where is running off to anyways? _

What's so hard about this anyways? All I have to do is hand in the money. Just give it over. It's that's simple.

No,I can't. He doesn't deserve it. I can't give in to this. I can't stand the thought of seeing that triumphant gleam in his eyes when he knows he's won.

_But even,so,even if he doesn't deserve it,what choice do I have?__  
_

The bills are now sweaty and wrinkled papers clenched in my shaking hand.

"I'm waiting..." He holds out five pale,bruised fingers.

I put myself through a lot for this. Every second I spent ruining things,making them worse,humiliating myself,it was all for Galux. But I'm through with this,I'm sick of putting up with these things. This is the final straw.

"Well...?"

He appears to be losing patience. I'm losing patience as well.

"Fine,you win!". I slapped the "dough" into his hand. "Here's you're fucking money! Now take it and get out of my sight!"

Then came the tears,those stupid tears I just can't hold in any longer. _Great time to become a leaky faucet._

He's surprised. But why shouldn't he be? He has no idea what I went through.

"Whoa! Calm down. You don't need to get all worked up and emotional-"

"Son of a bitch! Why should I listen to you!? You cheated me of my money!"

"But-"

But nothing! I'm sick of you! You and your messed up team! I'm sick of everyone! I don't know why I even took up blading in the first place!"

I wanted to say more,but my throat was swollen and choked up.

But I couldn't leave him without a proper goodbye.

"sob I'm leaving now,good riddance you asshole!"

Tala Talkov,captain of the Demolition Boys,one of Russia's greatest bladers,totally fearless,now stunned by the angered words of a 14 year-old girl,stood petrified,unable to respond.

Was that defeat? Am I victorious?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All alone now,all alone. Just listening to my sobs echo through the empty locker room. The same locker room in which I destroyed my relationship with Rei,which makes it even worse. I don't suppose it matters now,not that I could ever stand to look him again. Or the rest of the world.

If it wasn't for my uncontrollable wailing,I could probably hear my own thoughts. Or regrets in this case.

Let's see,what was my first mistake...?

1. Asking Tala for help. Though I never minded Lee that much,he always told us that our opposing team was our sworn enemy and we were never to trust them. It sounds a bit,some of them could be pretty nice. But he wasn't joking this time,that's for sure.

2. Getting Kevin involved. Asking a 12 year-old to part with $30 out of his own raggedy pocket just to spare a whiny,self-centered teenage girl from the gallows of financial debt is a bit much. I should have known there would be a price. A very large one. Asking Kevin for help is like sticking your hand into a pool filled with piranas,thinking "Heck,they might be friendly today." Yeah,right.

3. Hmmm...what was number 3...? Everything else,I guess. Following through,telling myself it would work out,lying to Rei,etc. .

By then the piranas would have chewed off your hand,as a warning of course. But instead of listening,you decide to swim around a bit,and give the little monsters a second chance. Yes,and because of your stupid and dangerous lack of foresight,they've chewed you all the way through ,leaving you as a bloody corpse with bits of flesh clinging to your sun-bleached bones,floating gracefully on the pond.

Metaphorically speaking that's where I am,ruined,messed up,falling apart,floating on the sea of misery. Literally,I'm sitting here on an ice-cold bench,my eyes all puffy and crimson,irritated,sick and tired. I sniffled. "Oh,god..." . But with my nose all stuffed up it sounds more like "Ugh,got...".

Why do I get so choked up all the time? That's a good question. I wish I new the answer myself. Crying usually comes from a mixture of humiliation and some pity. Sometimes I'm frustrated or overwhelmed. And of course,bottled up fury. Lee doesn't get it,he always thinks it's sadness. But that's rare.

So why was I bawling today? Humiliation mostly,a bit of self pity,and anger. Anger mostly towards myself,and towards Kevin. The fury was building up inside me,slowly and silently.

My throat kept jerking up and down. I wondered if I was going to throw up.

I guess I could puke in the trash can by the door. It seems practical.

Or maybe I wouldn't have to puke,if I could just find some way to calm my heart and stomach...

"Mariah?"

Rei? What was he doing here? How did he find me?

I rubbed the tears from my eyes and glanced at the doorway.

No,not Rei. Definitely not Rei.

It's the worst possible person. The last person on earth I wanted to see.

It was Kevin.

He waved a feeble hello. My hands moved back up to cover my face.

Oh,crap. _Please_ _go away. Leave me alone. I don't want to see you. Not now,not ever again._

He walked in,slowly,but confidently,almost casually,as if the past hour had never existed.

"Hi."

I didn't say anything. I mean,how could I? This whole,humiliating ordeal was practically his fault. Why should I actually have greet him? I was too embarassed and upset to even scream at him.

He wouldn't actually sit down,would he? He can be pretty clueless sometimes,but if he had heard me sobbing and moaning a few minutes ago,he...

He sat down. He actually took a seat at the bench across from mine.

_How can he do this? How can he come in without an invitation,and sit there like nothing happened? Does he actually think that I want to see him now_? _He's being such_ _an idiot. A complete idiot..._

"You look awful."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the compliment."

He shrugged. "Sorry. What happened to you back there? I saw you yelling at Tala or something..."

_He saw me? He saw me?! Oh no,oh nooo... . What am I going to do?_

I shiftedmy foot back and forth,thinking of a response.

_Should I make up another lie? No. I've lied too much. Much as it hurts,I'll have to tell the truth,before something worse happens._

_Even if I don't trust him 100 percent._

I forced myself to look at him. I sighed.

"Okay,I'll tell you. But you have to promise to keep quiet. All right?"

"Yes."

I explained the whole story to him,starting with the part about asking Tala to repair my blade.

He looked shocked. "But how come you didn't tell me this? How come you made up that whole lie about Kenny?"

I sucked in my cheeks. "I-well...I was afraid your tongue might slip and you might tell Lee or someone."

His expression changed to a look annoyance. "So that's it,huh? You don't trust me! You're just like everyone else!"

Kevin got up and put his hands on his hips. It looked a little feminine to me,but I didn't say anything.

"Sure,it was hard for you to go through all that,but I can't say you didn't deserve it." he added.

_What? I deserved that ?! Is he serious?! _

His eyes narrowed. "To be honest,you've been kind a bitch lately." He walked out.

A bitch! That's it,I'm sick of holding back.

He started to walk out. My legs jerked up into a standing position.

"Come back here!"

He was gone. He ignored me. But he's not getting away this time.

I ran out the door. He happened to be walking down the hall,avoiding me.

"Where do you think you're going?!" I shouted.

He paused and turned around. "Ummm...I'm going to _the tournament_. Did you forget that we have _a game _today?"

"I wasn't finished talking to you!"

I walked up to him,teeth clenched,breath coming out hard. _Stupid kid,stupid frickin' kid. I have to make him pay for what he's done._

"How could you do that?! You-you ruined everything!"

He laughed,softly. "What are you talking about?"

"Everything!" I screamed. "It's all your fault! This whole stupid bet was your idea! You-"

I stopped. It didn't look like he was the least bit sorry. Looks like it's time to make him pay.

"I have an idea..." I said, "Why don't I wrap my fingers around your pretty little neck and choke you to death!"

"Or..." I added,grinning wickedly, "I have a better idea,why don't I get a knife from the kitchen and chop your fingers off and feeed them to the vultures!"

He looked at me a little nervously. The way you would look at a person who is seconds away from being taken to a mental hospital.

I didn't care though. I'm getting the last laugh.

I walked down the hall,not realizing that I was getting farther and farther away from him. But what did it matter,he couldn't hide forever!

"Cutting off your fingers doesn't seem like enough of a punishment,maybe I'll cut off your hands too!" I screamed crazily.

He was saying something. It sounded like "Ummm...Mariah? Hey,Mariah!"

Why is he calling me? He can walk over and talk to me,can't he? He has feet.

This didn't bother me. I was too lost in my own thoughts of torture schemes to care about anything anymore. Nothing mattered anymore,not Rei,not the team,not the tournament. Nothing.

"Mariah? You might want to watch out for the..."

A stark white staircase came into view.

Too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SilverSkitty: Ooohhhh,suspense...I love suspense. I love torturing people with it. Morbid endings. Bwa ha ha (yes,I have been too much goth anime. And Foamy).

I'll try not to delay the next chapter too long,but with all the work and other junk I do,I can't promise anything. Sorry if I caused any grief by not updating enough.

Kevin: Right. If you try hard enough,maybe you'll finish the next one sometime this century.

SilverSkitty: Oh,shut up. You've caused enough trouble already.

Kevin: What about my cookies?

SilverSkitty: You will get them when you shut your trap and leave me alone! Go watch One Piece or steal Kenny's lunch money or something. (aren't I rude?)

Maybe Mariah will recover soon.

Ya soshla s uma. Luv it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


End file.
